xymnovel Chapter 78 Guan Sheng vs. Lin Chong
Chapter 78 Guan Sheng vs. Lin Chong
"So our agreement to capture him three times is invalid?"
After a long while, Wang Lun spoke up and asked.
Huyan Zhuo said with shame, "I'm not that shameless. If I really had to capture and release him three times, I would have no face to live on."
Wang Lun smiled and nodded: "In the future, when we fight side by side, we will still need to rely on Huyan's strength."
He looked out of the city: "Where is Guan Sheng?"
Huyan Zhuo felt even more ashamed when he thought of Guan Sheng. If he had listened to Guan Sheng's words, he might not have been captured. But now he was completely convinced by Wang Lun, so he immediately betrayed Guan Sheng: "General Guan is very cautious and has already noticed something amiss. He and Ling Zhen led two thousand troops behind us. Now that he knows I have been captured, he should be returning to his camp."
Wang Lun nodded secretly. Guan Sheng was cautious, loyal, and highly skilled in martial arts. He was exactly the kind of fierce general he needed. Now that he had come, he could not let him leave.
After thinking for a moment, he laughed and said, "Huyan, you don't understand Guan Sheng. In my opinion, he will either lead his troops to attack Yuncheng or attack Liangshan Marsh."
Huyan Zhuo was startled and said, "Ah! Zhang Shuye and Hao Siwen are leading troops to attack Liangshan Marsh, and Peng Qi and Han Tao are leading troops to attack Yuncheng. Brother, we need to deal with them as soon as possible."
Huyan Zhuo's words further confirmed Wang Lun's thoughts: Guan Sheng would definitely lead his troops to join forces with Zhang Shuye or Han Tao.
After thinking it over, he felt that it was more likely to meet up with Zhang Shuye, since the main force of Liangshan was in Jizhou at the moment, and Liangshan Marsh was actually empty.
Once the base at Liangshan is captured, the Liangshan Flying Tiger Army will naturally fall into chaos.
What worried him even more was that the more than 4,000 soldiers he had captured from Huyan Zhuo a few days ago were now all being trained by the Flying Tiger Army at Liangshan.
If they find out that the imperial army is attacking Liangshan, it might cause a mutiny.
Wang Lun immediately instructed, "Guan Sheng must have led his troops to join Zhang Shuye in attacking Liangshan. Although Liangshan is easy to defend and difficult to attack, we don't need to worry too much. However, capturing Guan Sheng and other generals in one fell swoop will be very useful in strengthening our Liangshan forces."
"Lin Chong and Lu Da, your entire Second Route Army must immediately return to reinforce Liangshan. Remember, if you encounter government troops, do not fight them head-on. Just circle back to Jinshatan and help Du Qian, Song Wan, and others defend the main camp."
Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, and Gongsun Sheng immediately accepted the order.
"Qin Ming, Hua Rong, your Third Route Army will circle around to the rear of the government troops from the left and cut off their retreat. While I am engaged in battle with Guan Sheng, you will seize the opportunity to attack the enemy's rear guard."
Qin Ming and Hua Rong nodded immediately.
"Yang Zhi, Wu Song, and Hu Yanzhuo, the three of you will come with me and lead our troops, along with another three thousand surrendered soldiers tonight, to pursue Guan Sheng along his rear route."
The generals accepted the order.
"Mr. Shi, you and Huang Xin will lead the rest of the troops to defend the city. If the enemy attacks, you must hold your ground and wait for my return to reinforce you." Wang Lun looked at Shi Wenbin and Huang Xin.
The two immediately agreed.
There were many heroes of Liangshan, each with their own unique skills, but there were too few scholars, and even fewer scholars capable of handling government affairs and governing the people.
Shi Wenbin is one of them. These days, he has been handling the government affairs in Jeju in an orderly manner, without causing any trouble.
This is also why Wang Lun values Shi Wenbin so much.
Both civil and military officials are indispensable.
The army doctor gave Huyan Zhuo a simple bandage, and then he mustered his troops and followed Wang Lun out of the city.
His soldiers were somewhat bewildered; just an hour ago they were Song Dynasty government troops, and now they were already raising the Liangshan banner.
But for soldiers, the most important thing is obedience.
The commander tells them who to attack, and they attack whomever they are told to attack; the commander tells them which flag to carry, and they carry that flag.
Wang Lun has ordered Tang Long to forge weapons for him. The weapons are based on his design sketches, and Tang Long is tasked with finding the best iron to make them. They are not yet finished.
So he took up a long spear and led the way, flanked by Yang Zhi, Wu Song, and Huyan Zhuo. The four of them led their troops in a grand procession towards Liangshan Marsh.
Before long, a scout came to report that Guan Sheng, Zhang Shuye, and Hao Siwen had indeed joined forces and launched an attack on Liangshan Marsh.
However, the Liangshan Marsh, stretching for eight hundred li, is not so easy to conquer. The government troops could not gather enough ships in a hurry, and they have not even defeated the navy of the three Ruan brothers yet.
Wang Lun felt relieved and ordered his troops to advance slowly. What he needed was for Lin Chong and Qin Ming's troops to also be in position so that they could launch a three-pronged attack on the government forces.
He was somewhat wary of Zhang Shuye and Guan Sheng.
According to unofficial historical accounts, Zhang Shuye organized troops to fight against the Jin army and successfully repelled them. In the end, he and several sons died in battle, a truly moving and tragic story. Even if the official historical records may not portray him as such a remarkable figure, he should still be taken seriously.
Guan Sheng was the leader of the Five Tiger Generals in Water Margin, comparable to Guan Yu in the Three Kingdoms period. He was highly skilled in martial arts and unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness, so he deserves even more attention.
Wang Lun was most wary of Ling Zhen, whose nickname was "Thunderbolt," and who was one of the most skilled people in the Song Dynasty at the time in terms of firearms manufacturing and use.
This is exactly what Wang Lun wanted. With Ling Zhen, his many ideas about firearms could be put into practice, and he wouldn't need to research and manufacture firearms himself. He only needed to teach Ling Zhen the modern gunpowder formula, and Ling Zhen would take firearms research and development to a new level.
As dawn broke, so much had happened in the middle of the night.
The banners of the government troops came into view, and Wang Lun ordered the army to halt and observe from a distance.
The government troops had ceased their attack on Liangshan. One detachment seemed to be heading into the mountains to cut timber and build ships, but they were intercepted by Qin Ming and Hua Rong's forces. After a brief clash, the government troops were defeated and forced to retreat.
Wang Lun laughed and said, "Qin Ming is known as Thunderbolt. No one can surpass him in charging into battle and killing enemies. His reputation is well-deserved."
Yang Zhi nodded and said, "Hua Rong's spear and archery skills are also superb; he is a rare and fierce general."
"Even the Yang family's spear technique praised Hua Rong's skill, so it must be quite good."
Wang Lun agreed with Yang Zhi's words, since in the original novel, Hua Rong, in addition to his unparalleled archery skills, had also demonstrated his spear skills and fought against many masters without being at a disadvantage.
Wang Lun was very pleased that Liangshan was gradually growing stronger.
Upon discovering that Wang Lun's troops were in the rear, Zhang Shuye and Guan Sheng abandoned their attack on Liangshan Marsh, turned the rear guard into the vanguard, and charged towards Wang Lun with great momentum.
Wang Lun laughed heartily, directed the troops to form a battle formation, and said, "I have long heard of Guan Sheng's superb martial arts skills. Today is the perfect opportunity to see them. I wonder which of you will go and test his skills?"
Wu Song brandished his long sword: "Wu Song is going to meet them."
Yang Zhi said, "Let me go and capture him."
Huyan Zhuo also said, "Now that I've joined the group, let me make a contribution."
Zhu Tong and Yan Shun behind him were also eager to try and make a contribution.
At this moment, a group of men rushed over from the side. The general in the lead spurred his horse and shouted, "Guan Sheng, do you dare to come out and fight?"
It was Lin Chong.
Wang Lun then waved his hand and said, "Perfect, let Lin Chong fight Guan Sheng and see who is better."
Lin Chong's second army joined the main force, and Lu Zhishen explained simply: "We originally wanted to take a detour back to the main camp, but we found that the government troops had not been able to enter the marshland at all. When we saw that they turned around to attack you, Instructor Lin ordered us to return."
Wang Lun nodded and said, "Very good. Let's fight the government troops head-on and test our strength."
As everyone was talking, Lin Chong and Guan Sheng were already fighting.
One wielded the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the other the Eighteen-Foot Serpent Spear; when they fought, they were evenly matched, leaving Wang Lun somewhat dazed.